minimum wage

A juicy prime rib. A glossy art book. A few days off work without worrying about bills. These are the unreachable desires of some of America's workers earning just above minimum wage.

President Biden vowed to govern as the most progressive chief executive since Franklin Roosevelt. But progressives in Congress are skeptical, especially after a recent letdown over the minimum wage.

The Senate will debate a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 bill and aim to pass it using a process that avoids a Republican filibuster. A battle over efforts to raise the minimum wage still splits Democrats.

The parliamentarian is often called the referee of arcane Senate rules. MacDonough has been thrust into the spotlight for ruling against adding a minimum wage hike to the coronavirus relief package.

Backers of the president's ambitious stimulus plan say it will help struggling families and businesses, but critics say it goes too far.

The Senate parliamentarian informed lawmakers that a plan to gradually increase the federal minimum wage to $15 by 2025 does not fit the complicated rules that govern budget bills in the Senate.

Next week's pay increase would put Costco ahead of much of the industry. CEO W. Craig Jelinek said higher pay reduces turnover and boosts productivity.

The legislation is set for a vote on the House floor at the end of the week. The Senate is then expected to modify it to ensure it can pass procedural hurdles.

McDonald's is one of the nation's largest employers of low-wage workers. And because it's everywhere, it's a great place to test the effects of minimum wage laws.

Raising the federal minimum to $15 an hour by 2025 would boost pay for at least 17 million people and cut 1.4 million jobs, according to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office.